Storm of Glass
by Aeris9919
Summary: Follow up to 'Fanning the Flames'. Danny finds a walk in the rain taking him to a place he never thought he'd go. DannySam


This just sort of came to me after watching "Fanning the Flames". I believe this is my first danny/sam fic with a happy ending. Yay.

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom

Storm of Glass

A steady rain had begun to fall before the final bell had rung. It didn't help matters that 99 percent of the class would be staying after for a painful cram session with Lancer. Tucker was miraculously excused, leaving his friends behind without a second glance. But strangely enough, Danny wasn't bothered by the thought of spending an afternoon at school. In fact, he was almost looking forward to it. Anything to get his mind off the raven haired girl seated only two seats behind him. And for Danny, it was becoming increasingly harder for him to think about anything _other_ than his best friend.

It wasn't the sickening, mushy, lovey-dovey feeling that had come as an embarrassing side effect of Ember's music. No, that had worn of with the disappearance of the rock star ghost. This was…different. Just the sight of Sam would tighten his throat, and her smile made his stomach do back flips. Danny had managed to work through it, pretending with ease that everything was the same.

But it wasn't.

Still, the feelings he had for Sam weren't something he would wish away, even if he could. Despite the pain, he would continue to care for her. It was something he would hang onto as best he can, until it is just the waves of time that pull him from it. Danny refused to let go of the gift his heart had burdened him with, no matter how painful it was.

Sweet, sweet misery.

After the cram session had ended, he and Sam made their way to the double doors leading out of the school.

"Do you want a ride home?" She gestured to the sleek vehicle waiting for her at the front of the building. Danny clutched at his umbrella, imagining how nice it would be to ride home in the back of a warm car, Sam sitting beside him.

But he shook his head, declining her offer.

"I don't mind walking. Besides, there's a chance I could come across some ghosts."

"Well, then maybe I should go with you. What if you need help?"

Again he shook his head.

"No sense in us both being cold and wet. Besides, I have the thermos. I'll be fine."

"Oh." She gave him a weak smile, one that didn't quite reach her eyes. She seemed insulted by his refusal of her company, but Danny tried to ignore it. He just couldn't bear to be a _friend_ right now.

"Then, I guess I'll talk to you later?"

"Yeah," he said, opening his umbrella and stepping into the rain. "Bye, Sam."

"Bye."

An umbrella was an amazing instrument, built to protect someone from the cold droplets of rain that came on days such as this. But an umbrella was of little use when the rain fell in sheets, kissing the skin like pieces of glass.

Danny winced slightly as the drops cut across his cheek, the wind passing through his jacket. He had dropped the umbrella two blocks back, and merely glanced at it before continuing on his path. Somehow, the umbrella did nothing to protect him from the pain so why waste precious energy to bend over and pick, only to drop again moments later.

He had barely made into in his room before his eyes landed on the collage of pictures he had acquired in his drunken love stupor. At any other moment it would have been something to laugh at. But at the sight of he and the goth girl dancing, and the two of them sharing a quiet afternoon under an old oak tree brought back to many things he didn't want to face right then.

So much for escapism.

He hadn't said goodbye to his parents. He just grabbed the umbrella, and headed back into the storm.

The pain was a welcome distraction from his heart.

But soon the pain was dulled, and all he could think of was _her._

And it was instinct that his legs had carried him to her home, his body finally coming to rest against a street lamp. The pole was cold, feeling like silken steel against his skin. The rain hadn't halted its assault, but had become even more determined to give him the pneumonia he deserved.

It wasn't long before Sam noticed him.

She sprinted from her front door, and grabbed his arm in a streak of panic. She hit him with question after question, but his answers were nothing more than mute nods. What was he supposed to say to her? How could he possibly explain himself?

She pulled him through the door, and was quick in finding a blanket to wrap around his shaking form. Being inside, the warmth of her and her home, it all seemed to amplify the cold that he hadn't noticed until now.

He hated the cold.

"Danny," she spoke softly, "what are you doing here?"

He opened his mouth to answer, but could only shake his head. He had no answer.

Again, silence befell them as she lead him upstairs and pushed him into the bathroom. She joined a second later, a dry pair of clothes in her hands. They probably belonged to her father.

"Just warm yourself up. I'll be in my room when you're done."

He was alone again.

Turning the knobs, he stepped beneath the spray of water, letting the scalding liquid smack across his hyper-sensitive skin. Soon, his body began to relax and slumped against the side of the tub.

This wasn't what he had imagined when he left his house earlier. He had wanted to escape her violet gaze, not confront it.

And now there was no turning back.

Danny knocked on her door, albeit reluctantly. There was a shuffle of papers, and the door was opened shortly after. She smiled triumphantly, taking in his slightly flushed features and his damp hair.

"Feel better?"

"Much," he answered, finally able to find his voice. She nodded, taking a seat on the edge of her bed. She patted the patch of blanket next to her, beckoning him to sit beside her.

He remained standing.

"Danny, what are you doing here?" She repeated her question from earlier.

"I-I don't know…"

"You've been acting weird ever since Ember disappeared," her voice was tense, but her eyes betrayed her. He broke his gaze away.

"Whatever it is, Danny, you can tell me."

A sudden pulse of anger flushed through him.

"No, I can't! Don't you get it, Sam! You're the one person I can't tell! I just…I just can't." He hung his head, his hands gripping the his black hair with an iron clasp.

"And why can't you tell me?" She asked calmly.

It struck him as odd that she was acting so rational. He had expected her to flare up at his abrupt anger, but she looked at him expectantly, waiting for her answer. Almost as if she had known this was coming.

"Because it'll change everything," he whispered.

He hadn't noticed she had moved until she was standing in front of him, her fingers tracing the length of his cheek.

"It will change, every last bit of it. But- change doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing." Her voice had dropped to a whisper as well, and her violet orbs peeked up from dark lashes.

With that, his last bit of self-resolve crumbled away. He pulled her against him, crushing her lips to his own. Somehow, they managed to make it to the bed, and she lay beneath him, blurred by a lusty haze. He pressed a searing kiss to her lips, his hands roaming the length of her body. Pulling away slowly, he met her eyes directly for the first time that day.

"Danny?"

"Yeah, Sam?"

"Can you tell me know?"

He smiled, stroking small circles around her collar bone.

"I love you."

"And I love you."

Fin

That's it. Please review. Maybe I'll do more like this if you do.


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